The fabulous new Vaudeville entertainment destination has teamed up with Dish Food and Social, run by creative chef Andrea Foulkes. This clever pairing has ensured guests will be able to enjoy this stylish venue, that incorporates a 300-seater supper club, which offers superb food.
A menu change every two weeks sees a three-course dinner interspersed with live performance in the burlesque and Vaudeville tradition
Foulkes' husband, Oscar, heads up the kitchen management at Vaudeville. "This is something new for Dish - like the beginnings of Dish Two - to have a new kitchen facility installed on site, with everything prepared fresh daily."
There is a contingent of 20 staff in the kitchen, plus 30 waitrons to ensure a smooth roll-out of meals for the three courses. "Kitchen management has the back-up of an amazing team, who have to plate up to 300 plates, with four items, in 15 minutes. There can be no hold-ups, or the programme will lag."
Dish recently hosted a food-tasting event to sample some of the fare that is on offer at the supper club. There were five different menus, with a vegetarian main course option with each menu.
Starters sampled included a mezze platter with olives organically grown and cured on the Cloof Wine estate (Foulkes markets these wines). Then a house salad, bursting with goodness, that had greens including mint, fennel, dill and watercress. Next, delectable Thai prawn spring rolls with plum dipping sauce, and a smoked tomato gazpacho served with basil and strips of bruschetta - an outstanding cold soup, with a fascinating smoky flavour.
A caesar salad with hot smoked salmon and parmesan crouton shards rounded off the starters. It had a subtle salad dressing with just the right combination of flavours, and a perfect texture to the salmon. The smoking is done at Dish.
For mains we devoured classic moules marini232re (west coast mussels), which were poached in white wine, herbs, garlic and cream served with frites and baguette - light not rich, a perfect balance.
Also presented to taste were prawns with smoked paprika in a brandied lobster bisque. The prawns were "to die for". There was melt-in-the-mouth chicken served on a bed of lemon zested roast butternut risotto, with baby vegetables. Linefish (kabeljou), with crushed potatoes and wokked greens (asparagus, courgette, broccoli, spring onion and mangetout). The fish was seared and then oven-baked, cooked in its own juice. Lastly, Namibian sirloin was declared "mouth watering" by the seasoned meat eaters. Adds Foulkes: "The meat is organic, produced from grass-fed animals, no hormones or antibiotics."
To end, desserts included a dark chocolate torte with vanilla mascarpone cr232me - wickedly heavenly, not too rich, and incredibly more-ish. Then bread and butter pudding with brandy-laced cream with fresh berries on the side. Finally a poached pear with chilli chocolate ganache and vanilla pound cake - with a burst of zing and freshness, the perfect end for a perfect meal.
Rave comments from fellow samplers accompanied each and every mouthful - "sensational, awesome, delicate flavours, heavenly ...", the adjectives just rolled on and on.
Food, like these tasters produced by Dish, just doesn't get better. The prepared plates looked inviting, colourful and simple (no fussy garnishes), and so delectably good that the tastebuds immediately started dancing.
- Vaudeville's live stage runs Mondays to Saturdays, 8pm to 10.45pm. The show begins at 8.15pm Tickets are R350 to R395. Vaudeville is at 11 Mechau Street, off lower Bree Street. To book, call 0861 SUPPER, or e-mail [email protected]